Pudding – Karen in the Kitchen

This has got to be one of the easiest yet most divine desserts I’ve ever made. It hits all the notes of sweet, creamy, crunchy and chocolate-y. The best part about it is there’s no cooking involved. It’s just really easy to assemble, but you certainly don’t have to tell your friends or family that.

Start by making the vanilla pudding from a box. Whisk until thick and creamy.

Fold in the store-bought whipped topping.

Butter a pan and puzzle piece together some graham crackers.

Layer the pudding mixture and crackers, using an off set spatula to smooth everything out. Lick fingers as needed.

Melt together bittersweet chocolate, heavy cream and butter. What’s bad about that?

Nothing!

After three layers of graham crackers, pour on the chocolate ganache. It should be thin enough to pour and cover the whole pan easily.

Here’s the beautiful layered shot. Sprinkle some toffee bits for crunch and it’s ready for the fridge.

After a few hours or overnight in the fridge, what you’ll get is a decadent dessert that pleases adults and children alike. The graham crackers turn soft and creamy. The vanilla pudding mixture is just sweet enough to balance the bitterness of the chocolate. And then the toffee chips on top give it just the right amount of crunchy texture.

This turned out to be one of my favorite new desserts of the summer. Mostly because it did not require turning on the oven, but even more so because of the taste, yummers!

Chocolate Éclair Dessert

Cake:

1 (1-pound) box graham crackers

2 (3 1/4-ounce) boxes instant French vanilla pudding

3 1/2 cups milk

1 (8-ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

Toffee bits

Ganache:

1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons butter

Butter the bottom of a 9×13 inch pan. Line the pan with whole graham crackers. In a bowl, mix pudding with milk; beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Fold in whipped topping. Pour half the pudding mixture over graham crackers. Place another layer of whole graham crackers on top of pudding layer. Pour over remaining half of pudding mixture and cover with another layer of graham crackers.

For ganache, combine ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 1 minute and stir. Continue in 30 second intervals and stir until melted and glossy. Pour ganache over the cake and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

I know the traditional name of this dessert is DEATH by Chocolate. I would like to rename it, ALIVE by Chocolate!

This dessert gives your mouth a jolt and rush of sugar that awakens you to the pleasures of chocolate. The smooth pudding and creamy whipped topping not only look good in the bowl, they are a wonderful complement to the chunky rich brownie pieces.

Last night I took this dessert to a church Christmas potluck and brought home a nearly empty bowl. I guess that says something, right? It really is quite easy to make and almost too beautiful to eat. Well………….not that beautiful!

Alive by Chocolate

1 (19.8 ounce) package brownie mix

2 (3.9 ounce) packages instant chocolate pudding mix

1 (16 ounce) package frozen whipped topping, thawed

3 (1.4 ounce) bars chocolate covered English toffee, optional

Prepare brownies according to package directions. Let cool. Cut into small cubes.

Mix pudding according to package directions.

In a trifle bowl (or other deep glass bowl), layer in the following order: 1/3 of the pudding, 1/3 of the brownies, 1/3 of the whipped topping.

Repeat layers in the same order.

Refrigerate.